Leadership & the American Presidency

Guaranteed Internships

In many respects, an internship is a summer or semester long interview that could end in a future full-time job, glowing letters of recommendation and countless professional contacts. Each year, LIVE. LEARN. INTERN. program participants are offered full time or future internship opportunities at their internship site.

Students intern at organizations all over the Washington, DC Metro area. Each site is accessible to public transportation, making it easy to get from home to work to class and back again.

“Working at the NFWL gave me a great opportunity to learn how to better communicate in a professional manner, as well as a bit of a sneak peek into the "behind the scenes" part of policy making.”

Guaranteed Internship

You need experience and we can help you get there. Unlike other internship programs, we guarantee you an internship. We've been creating academic internship experiences for nearly 50 years and you will be able to take advantage of the strong relationships we have with hundreds of organizations in DC.

We have designated staff to work with you every step of the way to secure you a position that best matches your interests, abilities and career goals.

Washington, DC – You Belong Here

Washington, DC may be the most intern-friendly city in the country. In fact, some estimates say that close to 40,000 interns work in the city each summer. No other city can beat D.C. for the wide scope of opportunities that are available to you. Internship positions exist within various fields and institutions, including Congress, think tanks, policy shops, media outlets and non-governmental organizations.

This is the Real Deal

You’ll work approximately 30 hours a week for the duration of the program. In addition to normal intern office duties, you could cover hearings on Capitol Hill, work on important public policy papers, research critical government initiatives, attend meetings, and be assigned substantive work that will help you in your future career.

Your internship options are endless. Each summer, our students work at over 300 different government agencies and independent organizations working on a variety of important issues.

You could intern with:

White House Historical Association

Public Affairs Council

Congressional Offices on Capitol Hill

U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, Justice, the Treasury, Transportation

Somewhere in Washington, DC there is an internship that’s just right for you. Make the first investment in your future and start your application now. Click here to begin your application!

Placement Process

An internship gives you the unique opportunity to glimpse what full time employment is all about. You will learn more about yourself, your skills, and what it’s like in the professional world. This experience will set you apart and give you a competitive edge during your job search after college.

With a guaranteed internship, you can count on us to use our years of experience and connections to place you with a quality organization in your field of interest.

Why trust your internship to us?

It’s simple - we’re the experts! For 50 years we have placed over 8,000 interns with hundreds of organizations in the Washington, DC metro area. Our contacts and connections with organizations will ensure that your resume is given more attention than if you had applied on your own.

Dedicated Staff: You will be assigned to a dedicated internship coordinator who will work with you throughout every step of the placement process.

Resume Assistance: You will receive a personalized resume review to help make you a competitive candidate in the DC market. Using feedback we’ve received from internship supervisors over the years, we will help you format and tailor your list of experiences and skills to make your resume stand out.

Interview Prep: You will be given information on how to best prepare for a possible phone interview, including interview tips, practice questions and how to thoroughly research the organization.

Professional Advice: We will help you prepare for your first day on the job by providing information on commuting options, dress codes and workplace etiquette. If problems arise along the way, we are here to offer advice on working with your supervisor and coworkers to make sure your internship runs smoothly.

It’s All About Fit

We understand how important it is to find an internship that is the right fit for your interests and qualifications. That’s why our staff works closely with you to find the best internship match. We encourage you to be open to exploring new opportunities – DC is full of organizations large and small, all eager to give interns a great professional experience.

How We Do It

Before sending your resume to a potential internship site, there are a few key items we take into consideration:

Internship Questionnaire - During the enrollment process you will fill out a detailed Internship Questionnaire. This form gives you the chance to identify the type of organizations you are interested in pursuing and rank areas of interest. You will also submit a brief written statement describing the type of work that excites you most.

Internship Site Needs - We ask each internship site to fill out an Intern Request Form which outlines their available positions and the qualifications and skills required from each candidate (i.e. language abilities, computer skills, etc). We use these forms along with Internship Questionnaires and resumes to make the strongest matches possible between students and sites.

“Through my internship, I gained valuable experience that will help me land a job in the future along with a solid networking base that I can turn to for professional advice.”

Jim McLain, South Dakota State UniversityIntern, Georgetown University Law Center

Keep In Mind

You are guaranteed an internship through our program. This means that if you are not selected for a position after an interview or if you truly feel the internship would not be a strong fit, the process will continue until a placement is confirmed.

The timeline is different for everyone. While students are admitted on a rolling basis, not all organizations choose their interns in the same manner. Applying for the program early always ensures that more opportunities are available, but does not necessarily guarantee and early placement as the process can last up to three months.

We are here for you! Our goal is to ensure that you have the best possible summer internship experience here in Washington, DC. We will communicate with you on a regular basis to keep you updated on the status of your placement.